Making Mosaics

Mosaic Clones work in a completely different way compared to all other clones. Most of the toolbox and palettes are not available when using Mosaics, so all the controls you need are available from within the Mosaics dialog box. Choosing the right picture to make into a mosaic is important as not all photographs are suitable, pictures with good strong shapes and lines usually work best.

Step 1 File> Open> DVD> Step-by-step files> '09 Quarry Truck'. Step 2 File> Quick Clone. Step 3 The brush chosen is unimportant but you must click the clone color option in the Colors palette for the colors to be taken from the original image. Step 4 Canvas> Make Mosaic will bring up the Mosaic dialog box. Click the icon on the left to start laying the tiles.

Figure 9.3

Original photograph.

Figure 9.3

Original photograph.

Figure 9.4 shows the Mosaics dialog box as it first opens. The left hand icon (which is highlighted) in the dialog box is the one for applying mosaic tiles. The other icons are for removing, changing and selecting tiles after they have been laid.

The Width and Length sliders change the size and shape of the tiles.

The Pressure slider determines the variation of the tile size when using a pressure sensitive stylus. A zero setting means the tiles vary from small to large, there is no variation at the maximum setting.

Figure 9.4

The Mosaic dialog box.

Figure 9.4

The Mosaic dialog box.

The Grout slider alters the space between each tile as it is laid.

Clicking in the white box will change the color of the grout and effectively changes the background color. Figures 9.5 and 9.6 show the difference between white and black grout.

Before starting to make this picture it is worth trying out some brush strokes to see how the tiles are laid on the picture. You will quickly notice that it is impossible to lay one on top of another, just as in a real mosaic.

The tracing paper is turned on and off by ticking the option in the dialog box.

Tiles that you have already laid can be removed, click the second icon and brush over the tiles, they can then be laid again.

Figure 9.5

White grout.

Figure 9.6

Black grout.

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Figure 9.5

White grout.

Figure 9.6

Black grout.

To change the coior of the tiies after they have been iaid untick the cione option in the Coiors paiette and seiect a coior. Ciick the third icon (highiighted in Figure 9.7) and paint over the tiies, they wiii change to the coior seiected in the coiors paiette. Remember to tick the cione option again before you start to iay more tiies.

Ciick in the box beiow the icons where it says Coior and seiect one of the other options and the tiies wiii be darkened, iightened or tinted as you paint over them.

When you have tried out the options and are ready to start cioning the picture, ciose down the cione copy unsaved and make another Quick Cione. Usuaiiy you can ciear a cioned image by Seiect> Aii and Edit> Cut, but in the case of mosaics this does not work. The image wiii be cieared but the memory of where tiies were iaid is retained and makes it impossibie to iay tiies in the same piace.

Figure 9.7

color.

Selecting, removing and changing

Figure 9.8

Laying tiles following the lines in the picture.

Figure 9.8

Laying tiles following the lines in the picture.

Step 5 Using the new cione copy and with the tracing paper turned on, paint over the picture using a tiie size of about 25.0. How you iay the tiies depends on the picture but generaiiy it is better to foiiow the main iines of the picture and then to fiii in the other areas afterwards.

Figure 9.8 shows how the tiies can be iaid in this way.

Step 6 As with aii pictures you wiii want to save your work as you go aiong and when using mosaics this must be done using Painter's RIFF format. In any other fiie type you wiii iose the abiiity to aiter it iater.

File> Save As and select RIFF as the file type. When saved in RIFF format the file can be opened again at any time and tiles added or altered but make sure that you also re-open the original picture and set the clone source correctly. With the cloned picture open go to Canvas> Make Mosaic and continue cloning.

Step 7 When you have finished making the mosaic picture there is one final operation, which is to add a texture to the mosaic, which will give it greater depth.

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Figure 9.9

flexibility.

Save all mosaics as RIFF files to retain

Figure 9.9

Without mosaic mask.

Figure 9.10

Without mosaic mask.

Select Render Tiles into Mask from the Options drop down menu at the top of the dialog box and click on Done. This will not appear to have any effect, but it has made a mask that will be used in the next step.

Figures 9.10 and 9.11 show the difference this mask makes.

Figure 9.10

With mosaic mask applied.

Figure 9.11

With mosaic mask applied.

Figure 9.11

Step 8 Go to Effects> Surface Control> Apply Surface Texture and in the Using menu select Mosaic Mask. This will add a three-dimensional impression to the tiles. Save the picture again as a RIFF if you want to adjust it later or as any other type of file when it will become a normal bitmap file type that can be opened in other imaging programs.

As a matter of interest, in the mosaics dialog box Painter tells us how many tiles have been used in the picture and in the Quarry Truck example I have used 10,530.

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